In a frequency hopped waveform, it is possible to achieve modem acquisition in very high bit rate error conditions. In a jamming environment specifically, a modem can acquire with an on air bit error rate sometimes greater than 25-30%. However, it is important in this environment to provide a method of robust error correction in order to reliably decode a data stream at the receiver.
Forward error correction (FEC) is a method of controlling the received error rate of a user-provided data stream that is transmitted over a noisy channel. A forward error correction scheme will in general accomplish this by the generation and transmission of extra data along with the user data stream. This extra data provides the receiver with a more efficient way of determining what was actually transmitted across the channel. The performance of some forward error correcting schemes can be enhanced by indicating to the decoder which portions of a receive data stream are likely to be in error. The indicated portions are referred to as erasures. A forward error correction scheme that can make use of this information is referred to as having erasure decoding capabilities.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a method for decoding digital data using a forward error correcting scheme with erasure decoding capabilities in the context of a frequency hopping communication system. The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.